Chapter 68: Strategy Game
Seeing Special Week in person—the way she had hidden in the bushes near the underground tunnel exit, then her behavior in the stands afterward—Makoto's impression of her remained the same throughout.
She seemed like the kind of airhead who'd be late for school reporting duties and nearly locked out of the dorm.
But just before the race began, that impression began to shift—just a little.
At first, he hadn't thought much of it when he saw Special Week re-tie Kitasan Black's number cloth.
Only after briefly recalling the live broadcast from the paddock did he realize that Kitasan's number cloth had been tied on backwards.
Since it was the number "1," which looks almost the same forward and backward, it was easy to miss—he hadn't noticed at all.
But the fact that Special Week had noticed meant she wasn't as much of a lovable goof as she appeared.
And her sharp analysis just now had confirmed it.
She might not have a deep grasp of the technical theories behind training, but as a top-tier Umamusume, Special Week had an intuition for races that far surpassed many professional trainers.
With that kind of instinct, she didn't need theory—she could perceive far more than most just by watching the race.
Like Kitasan Black's maneuvering during the opening phase.
After realizing that, Makoto fell into quiet reflection for a moment, turning his attention back to the track.
The first corner had passed, and the pack had entered the exit stretch of the second corner.
The positions hadn't changed much—Susan Muse still led by about three lengths, with Kitasan Black trailing in second. The rest of the field followed behind her in a long line.
The live commentary confirmed it:
"They're approaching the backstretch. The pack's overall speed is slowing."
"200 meters: 12.7 seconds, 400 meters: 24.3 seconds, 600 meters: 36.7 seconds."
"Judging from this, the 800-meter mark will likely still be run at a relatively slow pace."
Then the analyst added:
"Susan Muse isn't a High-Speed Front Runner, so this pacing suits her well."
"But this could also leave plenty of stamina for a finisher like REAL STEEL."
"If the cruise pace continues to slow or remains unchanged, REAL STEEL's advantage on the final straight will be significant."
"Hopefully, Susan Muse has some tactical plan to account for that."
Hearing this, Makoto glanced at Special Week beside him.
Before earning his trainer's license, he had already been very aware of his situation.
No matter how much of the future he could foresee or how early he began preparing for a career as a trainer, a lack of experience was still a serious disadvantage.
At first, he didn't worry too much about that.
He thought, as long as he had some foresight and was well-prepared, he could do well with any Umamusume.
Reality, however, proved otherwise.
After arriving in Tokyo, he had been turned down again and again for months. He was forced to gather information and study books on his own. His access to resources was limited, and many aspects of training and racing were simply beyond his grasp…
That was the reality he faced.
Through all that, he gradually came to realize that just like the Umamusumes themselves, his value had to be proven through actual results.
His recent encounters—with Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka, and before that, Agnes Tachyon, Special Week and Mejiro McQueen—were only possible thanks to Kitasan Black's two consecutive victories.
If not for those wins, these famous Umamusumes likely wouldn't have interacted with him beyond the bare minimum.
At most, he might have received polite respect thanks to his exam scores and his title as Kitasan Black's trainer.
But back-to-back wins changed everything.
Daiwa Scarlet and the others began not just to care about Kitasan, but to recognize him as well. They were willing to share their own training and racing experiences, and even help him out where they could.
This kind of experience had quietly pushed Makoto to start thinking more seriously about his future—and to learn more from these top-tier Umamusumes.
With that in mind, he was just about to ask Special Week what she thought of the race so far.
But just like before, the Umamusume beside him was already lost in thought, mumbling to herself.
"Susan Muse's pacing... yeah, it's a bit too comfortable."
"The race so far really hasn't been fast. Ah—if the 800-meter split time is 49.8 seconds, then it's definitely slower than expected."
"But with just a three-length lead, trying to hold off a finisher's final burst…"
After murmuring this to herself, Special Week furrowed her brow for a moment, then turned toward Makoto with a curious look.
"Makoto-san, Kita-chan isn't going to just leisurely trail along like this the whole time, right?"
Hearing that, Makoto nodded silently to himself.
Special Week had guessed correctly—Kitasan Black did indeed have a plan to accelerate later on. And that confirmed that, in Special Week's view, such a tactic was not only smart—it was necessary.
For a front runner to win, opening up a gap early and conserving energy was absolutely crucial.
But, in turn, this strategy also created opportunities for counterplay, or more accurately—a tactical mind game.
For instance, a technique called "position pressure."
It involved closing the gap just enough and increasing pursuit speed so that the lead horse never had time to relax—that was the essence of "position pressure."
Pulling it off properly wasn't easy.
Most racing tactics in the world of Umamusumes were double-edged swords: while they could disrupt opponents, they also had a hidden cost to the user.
Take Minor from the opening phase—while she disrupted Kitasan Black, her own focus and rhythm were clearly thrown off as well.
In the same way, if Kitasan Black wanted to suppress Susan Muse's performance through position pressure, she had to make several well-timed pushes forward.
And every time Susan Muse heard those hoofbeats gaining on her, she'd be forced into a decision.
Was Kitasan Black really trying to overtake her?
Or was it just pressure? Or a tactical acceleration of another kind?
If she judged it to be the latter two, Susan Muse would have to either accelerate to widen the gap, or give up the lead—both of which would cost her dearly in stamina, which front runners were never great at conserving in the first place.
For Susan Muse, this process would be anything but easy.
And the struggle between these two front running Umamusumes would inevitably affect the decision-making of those behind them.
They would be watching closely, trying to figure out—
Are those two really fighting for position? Or are they just trying to push the overall race pace higher?
If it was the former, that would be great news for those chasing.
Infighting between front runners would sap their stamina, allowing those behind to run more comfortably and flexibly later on.
But if it was the latter—if the pace was really picking up—then the rest of the field would have no choice but to speed up too.
Because everyone knew that once you let a front runner get too far ahead, your chances of winning plummet.
Makoto had already explained all this to Kitasan Black, albeit skipping over some of the more complicated theories.
After all, he didn't have many people to consult back then—he had learned most of it through books, journals, academic papers, and old race footage.
Thankfully, when he later discussed it with Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, both of them had strongly approved of this tactic.
And now, with Special Week also showing signs of agreement, his confidence soared.
"I gave Kitasan Black the instructions to use position pressure."
His mind raced through the plan once more. Then, looking back toward the stretch directly across the grandstand, Makoto nodded firmly and added:
"If I recall correctly, Special Week-san, you often used pace chasing tactics during your races—you must be pretty familiar with this strategy."
"Yeah, that's true. Otherwise, if you let a front runner just lead the whole race in comfort—"
She nodded in agreement, but just as she was finishing the sentence, Special Week's eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed the grandstand railing with both hands and leaned forward toward the track.
"She's going! Kita-chan's making her move!"
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1].
Latest Post In Patreon: Chapter 98: Even If It's Only This One Time, 2000 Meters[2]
Link to the chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138848017?collection=1615744[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/138848017?collection=1615744
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/138848017?collection=1615744
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed